Super Fast Driving One Minute and Then We Might as Well Have Been on The M25

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It rained and it rained and it rained overnight. Like last year we left a hot summer in England just to end-up with rain. It did mean that it was quite cool first thing in the morning so it was good conditions to go for a run and see some more of Baden Baden. The parkland along the river was lovely and there were some great views around the town.

I went back to some points with the camera later to get some photographs and then we set-off for what we expected to be a relatively short drive to Austria. First of all there is a tunnel in Baden Baden, which was closed and our satnav insisted in trying to take us through it so after a while going around in circles as there didn’t seem to be any signs showing where to go, we had to just keep driving until we eventually found some signs for the A5 autobahn.

The A5 was straight, clear and very, very fast – even people in the slow lane were doing a hundred, and the BMWs were still flying past. Once we eventually got a feel for it and got enough bottle we thought we would join the others and give these unlimited speeds a go. We got up to 103 miles per hour, not that we held that speed for long as we were not used to it and not to mention what it did to the fuel consumption. I suppose having a full roof-box on top and a crammed boot didn’t help (best not to mention the huge numbers of shoes!).

We then changed onto the A8 and that’s when all the delays started. It wasn’t at all what we were expecting from German roads, and at places it was crawling along. The other direction looked even worse, which was worrying as we would be heading back that way in a week and we’ll have to go all the way to Paris. French toll roads – all is forgiven.

Our satnav threw another wobbly near Munich as we think the map data must be out-of-date so it sent us through the suburbs, which wasn’t great. We had earlier incorrectly decided to follow the satanv rather than the signs – we’ll know better next time. The scenery got better and better the closer we got to Austria until finally we saw the sign that we had crossed the border and then it got really stunning, reminding us of the Rockies.

So this blog is all about the journey as that is basically what most of the day consisted off. We arrived in Rauris later than expected, but at least I am now writing this blog outside in the cool evening admiring the glorious scenery and watching a Romanian trying to park. Better still the kids went off swimming which gave us a chance to unpack. We were a bit worried that the roof-box would have leaked, given all the rain, and all our clothes would be wet through – but all was well. The apartment has wi-fi so we’re back on online after whole day with no internet. Now I just need a beer!

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